What happens if there is a Carolina bay in your backyard or underneath your city? Ask Lidar...

[@elijahcraig4804]

In the early nineties we built a home in a new development in eastern South Carolina and our lot backed up to a farm field. The second spring was very wet and the back portion of our lot and much of the field stayed flooded. I speculate that the development impacted any previous drainage the farmer had relied on. No crops grew in the low area that year because it held water for months. However, the bullfrogs made good use of it. I soon started seeing swarms of tadpoles in the water. As they grew they appeared to be millions of them. Finally after a couple of months they had grown their legs and one day I came home from work to find my yard, driveway and road covered in small frogs. The plague lasted for a few days as they migrated away of died on the roads. A few years later, I was able to see satellite images and realized it was a small carolina bay. Knowing this I walked its perimeter and was able to find sand ridges on portions of the bay’s edges. By this time, the farmer had abandoned the field and it had grown up in mostly pines. The trees grew rapidly in the depression and soon kept water from standing in the area.

[@TheGeoModels]

It's interesting to look at places where they sit in agricultural areas or housing developments. They do indeed look like an inconvenience!

[@scottrenshaw6650]

Thanks for the tip for the online USGS tool. I've driven from Pinehurst, NC to either Myrtle Beach or Columbia, SC almost every week for over a decade and wondered about the standing water in somewhat spherical shapes in farmers' fields after a storm. I've known about Carolina bays for a while but never connected the dots that I've been looking at them for years. You've created a geology geek - thanks!

[@jamesmallard3386]

They are EVERYWHERE in Sumter County, SC where I live. They used to always have water in the big ones but people are figuring out ways to make better use of them now. I live in one.

[@leighdf]

I'm from Columbia. That residential area with the large bay is called Shandon, and within the bay itself the trees have phenomenal growth. Make use of the Streetview on Google Maps to see what the area looks like.

[@garyb6219]

The bay you spent some time on, I looked at it on Google Street View and I could not see a change in elevation if you actually lived there or were driving down a road into or out of that bay. Thank you for this and I found a new favorite website.

[@TheGeoModels]

It's a cool spot, for sure. Most of these features would escape notice without good old lidar or an annoying wet spot in your field.

[@DavidSmith-jj7ll]

Probably someone's mentioned this but a good way to check out a lowcountry bay environment is at Wood's Bay State Park.

[@paulbennett772]

Hi; I'm from Darlington UK & Darlington SC (the next largest) has always held a fascination for me

[@jbd202]

I work at McEntire and I’m familiar with the low areas around the base, but I never would have thought they were bays.

[@darceejean]

I suspect we have a similar thing in our area - could you compare a pin drop if I give you one?

[@TheGeoModels]

Sure thing. If it's in the US there might be good lidar, but aerial imagery and overall context might work too. Send it along. There's an email address on Princegeology.com if you prefer.

[@ThomasSmith-os4zc]

There is part of one in the North West corner of Orange Park in Brunswick, Georgia. I have 2 bifaces from the site.

[@Tcrim354]

Dang I live 6 miles from Ward, SC. A lot of creeks start in our area. One is The South Edisto River. Ward has a population less than 90 people. Agriculture is our identity, more peaches than the State of Georgia are grown on that Ridge.

[@someguy5035]

I live in Columbia. Always hotter here than anywhere else regionally. They call it "the midlands," I've always been aware it is a depression that traps heat.

[@edwardchipp7200]

What a great document... Am a geologist interested in hydrogen exploration (natural occurring). The "Fairy Ring" studies in Brazil, Europe, Namibia, South Carolina, Russia, South Australia, Perth area S.A., mid-continent US etc, suggest these are where hydrogen is elevated along the margins. I suspect (no one else has speculated re: deuterium) that the reason the "Fairy Rings" are devoid of vegetation and often wetter is the oxidized hydrogen forms primal water. The very small atomic size of hydrogen compared to other membranes allows the h2 to spiral as it is penetrating through the loosely compacted sediment, and deuterium will spiral less and be concentrated in center (twice the density of hydrogen). Limited medical studies suggest deuterium is toxic to plants and humans if in high concentrations. Heavy water, more concentrated in the centers probably has a different evaporation rate, and thus may remain more swampy. I personally would not want to consume water from the centers nor even live in close proximity to these areas. I realize this seems weird, but scientists not being open minded are also not being scientific. I admire your observations and curiosity along these matters. Thanks.

[@jakegarvin7634]

10:40 Looks like they had to route the streets differently to get over the sand ridge on the one side

[@stephenmesser4196]

I found several near me in the Highland park neighborhood in Richmond VA

[@TheGeoModels]

I'll have to cruise around there.

[@PaulRobert-mb6wo]

This is great. I've never seen this before, Thank You! Now my question, Why do all of the swamps east of Chesterfield on the South side of the James River drain to the BlackWater River to the Chowan and the Abermarle Sound? Why does all the land on the South side of the James between Chesterfield and Isle of White drain south to NC instead of easily north to the James? Thanks in advance for sharing great videos.

[@timsimmons5190]

Its one beside my house . When we first moved here it was a dirt road. Me and the kids would go in the woods after it rain and it was this big area that would just hold water. The road got paved and they had to build a drain to keep water from sitting. Its been 30 years and people have moved all up and down the st now except that big area. Since most are in the Sandhills region i thought it must have something to do with the sand actually dissolving and making the depression spots . Idk lol

[@gbro8822]

Great job, thank you from northern Indiana. I’m about 25 miles SSW of South Bend. Beside having a very bad day, what do you think the sky would of looked like when all these icebergs were flying overhead? Also do you think any of them were super sonic? Thank you.

[@k4x4map46]

interesting!!

[@TheFixIsIn-fe1jy]

I see rice fields, or fish ponds, got-ta work with it.

[@dylancooper787]

@10:30 I can't quite tell what cross street the bay is at in downtown Columbia, but I've lived in multiple places either directly inside of, or just next to that bay for the last 15 years. If it's where I think it is, my old workplace was inside the bay. The plumbing would always get flooded and the floor of the building would leak water through cracks in the foundation after a hard storm during the wet season. But that building was old, so maybe it's not because of the bay - I would love if you could say what cross street that bay is in, because I could definitely speak to if a local noticed any differences from it!

[@dylancooper787]

Commented before I finished the video... When I get a moment I'll go look at that map and report back!

[@TheGeoModels]

The one shown would be just south of the intersection of Monroe St and S. Maple Street. There are a few of them in that general downtown area. It would indeed be interesting to know if they drained differently. The other ones shown in the neighborhoods further southeast would be an absolute menace to live near...the same for the ones up in Saluda County near Ward.

[@TheGeoModels]

actually yes Monroe and S. Maple intersect right in it

[@dinkaroubles]

Are these LiDAR maps something normal people have access to, or do you need professional/academic credentials to play with them?

[@TheGeoModels]

So you can look at the hillshade imagery for free throug the USGS' National Map Viewer system. You have to choose the "hillshade stretched" layer, but you will get an awesome grayscale shaded look at the bays or whatever. For mountain stuff, you just need the hillshade layer. To process up the colored elevation model with the hillshade and do the overlay, you need a GIS program. They ain't fun to work with, and it escalates quickly. Not sure if there is a National Map tutorial out there, but it's a good jumping off point. All of it is still pretty new, in the professional sense, so it's still working its way through the system.

[@dinkaroubles]

@@TheGeoModels thats very cool! Where I'm from is very geographically boring, and i was hoping to get a peek and see if there are any hidden cool features like the bays around! Ill take a swing at the tools you mentioned, thank you!

[@TheGeoModels]

@@dinkaroubles It's not an intuitive site, but the basic tools are there. Many places look boring until stretched hillshade strikes, then they are nuts. Sort of the like the Texas Playa Lakes video.

[@dinkaroubles]

@@TheGeoModels I'm up in "the glaciers scraped away all the interesting topography" country, so I'm hoping to dig up something worth hiking out to see

[@AustinKoleCarlisle]

A much better LiDAR visualization tool can be downloaded from the "Carolina Bay Survey".